Automatic water-closet



(No Model.)

J. PooURTN'BY. e AUTOMATIC .WATER GLosET.

Pet-eeeed Teb. 2, 1897.

TN: uonms frans co., Puovourno.. wAsNmuTon. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN P. COURTNEY, OFMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC wrvrl-:R-croslar.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,340, dated February 2, 1897. Application lecl November l, 1895. Serial No. 567,621. (No model.)

make and use the same.

My invention relates to water-closets,iand has for its object to provide a construction whereby the charging and iiushing actions are rendered completely automatic. The con` struction is such that the stand-pipe and tank are charged from the main while the weight of the person is on the seat and that when the weight of the person is removed from the seat the stand-pipe and tank will be emptied to flush the bowl.

To this end my invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein, like letters referring to like partsL` V Figure lis acentral vertical section through the closet, stand-pipe, and tank. Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective, showing the iioatcontrolled valve and valve box or cage which connects the stand-pipe and tank detached, some parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail in section on the same line as Fig. 1, but on a larger scale, for showing the relation of the charging and flushing valves to the stand'- pipe and closet. Fi g. 4.- is a view ofthe closet, chiefly in plan, but partly in section, on the line @o a; of Fig. l, with some parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a sectional view, on substantially the same line as Fig. l, through a part of the closet, having a slightly-modified ar-l rangement of the charging-valves, with some parts broken away.

With the exception of certain details, which will be presently noted, the porcelain structure or closet proper is of the ordinary wellknown standard type known as the siphonaction or Siphon-jet7 closet. For present purposes it will be suiiicient to distinguish the porcelain body a, the bowl a', the flushing-rim a2, the Siphon-j et passage a3, the trap anges or walls 0.4 a5, the soil-pipe outlet a,

directly above the trap and rearward of the seat with a recess 0,7, for purposes which will presently appear.

The stand-pipe cconnects with the recess a7 of the porcelain structure by means of a screwthreaded thimble c', properly formed at its lower end to afford a seat c2 for the flushingvalve 03. The stemv cl of the iiushing-valve works through a guide-bridge c5 in the thimble c and is made larger in the portion of the samey above the bridge than in the portion below the bridge for permitting the bridge to limit the downward movement of the said flushing-valve. The upper part of the valvestem c4 works through another guide-bridge coin the stand-pipe and is made hollow to receive the stem c7 of a charging-valve es, which cooperates with a seat cf for the same formed in the bottom of the receiving-chest section cw of the stand-pipe. The said chest c10 connects with the main or supply pipe c and is provided with a removable cap cl2. At its upper end the stand-pipe c connects with the elevated tank through a valve box or cage f', which is provided at its lower or stand-pipe end with a valve-seat f2. With the seat f2 cooperates a valve f3, the stem fi of which passes up through a hollow extension f5 from the yoke f of the cage and is attached to a copper ball-float f7. The inside walls of the valve box or cage are provided with drip-passagesfs, for a purpose which will presently appear.

The seat b is provided with hinge arms or lugs b2, which are made fast to the outer ends of a pivot or hinge rod b3, which extends Y through the recess a7 in the porcelain structure and works through stuffing boxes or other suitable water-tight joints b4 in the side walls of the said recess. The said pivotrod b3 is provided with an angular lug b5. A lever-arm h6 is loosely pivoted on the hinge bolt or rod b3 in position to overlie the angular lug b5. The said loosely-pivoted lever arm b extends rearward and is of a length to underreach the flushing-valve c3.

In virtue of the connections just described the lever-arm t will be forced against the flushing-valve c3 when the seat is forced downward below its normal position, but the seat may, however, be raised and turned backward without causing any movement of said lever h6.

The forward end of the seat is shown as provided with a spring h7,\vl1icl1 serves to normally hold the front end of the seat at a short distance above the bowl, as shown in Fig. l.

The rear wall of the recess ai is shown as provided with a thimble as, with which a cap a9 has screw-threaded engagement, as a convenient means for affording access to said recess c7.

IIaving regard now to the action, the parts will normally stand, as shown in Fig. l, with the flushing-valve c3 open and the chargingvalve cS closed. The float-controlled valve f3 for the tank will also normally be in its open position. Upon the weight of a person comingonto the pivoted seat l) the lever-arm b will be lifted by the lug h5 under the pivotal action of the seat and its pivot-rod, and thereby the flushing-valve c3 will be raised and held closed against its seat c2 and the charging-valve c8 will be raised away from its seat and held in its open position as long as the person remains on the seat. IIence as quick as the weight of a person comes onto the pivoted seat Jthe stand-pipe c will be cut off from the closet bythe closing of the flush` ing-valve and will be thrown into communication with the main or supply pipe c by the opening of the charging-valve C8. The stand-pipe c and the tank f will therefore be charged or filled and the float f7 will be rendered operative to close the passage from the stand-pipe to the tank and prevent the tank from overflowing. lVhen the weight of the person is removed from the seat, the column of Water in the stand-pipe c will become instantly effective to throw the flushing-valve into its open position and likewise the pressure from the supply or main pipe c1l will become effective to close the charging-valve cs. I-Ience when the person leaves the pivoted seat the column of water in the standpipe will beinstantly thrown into communication with the closet for starting the flushing action, and under the suction from the siphon action the float-controlled valve f3 of the tank will be thrown into its open position and the water in the tank will become available to reinforce the column from the standpipe tocomplete the flushing action. After the water in the tank has lowered to the level of the open top of the cage f the remainder of the water within the tank can only escape through the drip-passages f8. This affords a supply for reinforcing the supply left in the bowl after the siphon action has been completed, so as to insure an abundance of water for affording the necessary water trap g, as shown in Fig. l.

From the foregoing` statements it must be obvious that the closet is completely automatic in respect to the charging and the iushing actions.

In the slight modification shown in Fig. 5 the action of the parts is exactly the same as in the form shown in the principal views. The construction differs simply in the substitution of a pivoted lever h for connecting the stems 7L' 7b2 of the Iiushing-valve c3 and the charging-valve cS and in the substitution of a valve-chest h3 of the proper shape to bring the valves into the relation shown in Fig. 5 and to inclose the said pivoted lever h, while at thc same time forming a connection between the stand-pipe proper and the closet.

The valves c3, cs, and f3 are preferably all of the globe type and the seating portions of the same are preferably made of rubber, as shown in black in the drawings.

It will be understood, of course, that minor details of the construction might be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It should be noted that in the construction shown in the principal views the valve-stein c4 of the iushing-valve has a limited idle movement on the stem clof the charging-Valve, which construction insures freedom for the downward o'r closing movement of the charging-valve cs, regardless of the point at which the flushing-valve c3 may be stopped by the bridge c5.

lVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. In a water-closet, the combination with the bowl and seat pivoted thereto, of a flushing-valve seat opening directly into the recess of the bowl-body, a charging-valve seat in communication with said flushing-valve seat, a charging-valve and a flushing-valve4 connected for reverse movements, and a lever having its fulcrum on the seats pivot, operative within a recess of said bowl-body, underlying the flushing valve and operative thereon to close the fiushing-valve and open the charging-valve, when a person sits on the seat, substantially as described.

2. In a water-closet, the combination with a bowl having a recess back of the seat, of a pivoted seat having its pivot-rod extending into said recess, of a flushing-valve seat opening directly into said bowl-recess, a chargingvalve seat in communication with said flushing-valve seat, a charging-valve and a flushing-valve connected for reverse movements, a lever fulcrumed on said seats pivot-rod, wit-hin said recess7 and underlying said ushing-valve,y and connections from said seat to said lever for operating said lever under the downward movement of said seat, but permitting the seat to be raised without action thereon, substantially as described.4

3. In a water-closet, the combination with a bowl having a recess back ofthe seat, of a pivoted seat having its pivot-rod, extending into said recess through water-tight joints in IOO IIO

the walls thereof7 an angularlug on said pivotfrom the main, but that the flushing-valve berod within said recess, a lever loose on said comes subject to said loose lever and seat, rod and overlying said lug, means for holding when the weight of a person is on the seat, the forward end of the seat normally above substantially as described.

5 the bowl, and the charging and flushing valves In testimony whereof I affix niy signature 15 and valve-seats7 with the valves Connected in presence of two witnesses.

for Common movement, in reverse order, and JOHN P. COURTNEY. arranged so that the ushing-valve is nor- Witnesses: mally open by gravity, and the charging-valve JAS. F. VILLIAMSON,

ro is normally closed, by gravity and pressure I F. D. llIERoHANT. 

